Portugal endured a dictatorial regime for almost 42 years, one of the longest in modern Europe, which was tolerated by NATO due to its anti-communist stance. [1],[2]
Interestingly enough, Russia is currently spending more than 40% of its budget on the war. [3]
A far more effective strategy to force them out of Ukraine, would be genuine economic starvation. Instead, the West tolerated hundreds of businesses continuing to operate in Russia.[4]
The most likely explanation for agent Krasnov’s, (currently occupying the White House), sense of urgency to halt the war in Ukraine, and use it as a pretext to restart economic ties with Russia is the impending collapse of the Russian economy.[5]
If the USA were to leverage its real and soft power by issuing executive orders that refuse to allow any company to do business with Russia. And by threatening sanctions on India and China for enabling the Russian economy, it would force India and China to choose between access to the US market and economic prosperity, or support for Putin. The war would cease, employing the same tactics Reagan used to bankrupt the Soviet Union.
Instead, the US administration chose to betray the entire West, by yielding to Russian demands.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnation_Revolution
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_de_Oliveira_Salaz...
[3] https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2024/1...
[5] https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/01/russias-economic-dilemm...
I am very curious if EU is smart enough to keep and even tighten their sanctions. After all is European security that is threatened by Russia.
[0]
[https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/RUS/Yea...
It doesn't seems like that. The West was pretty intolerant to business connections with Russia, and if instead of 80% cut there was 100% cut - it doesn't change the overall picture very much.
>by threatening sanctions on India and China
If We look at the trade balance of Western countries and China - the West isn't close to the position to do that.
>use it as a pretext to restart economic ties with Russia is the impending collapse of the Russian economy >yielding to Russian demands.
That's a blatant conspiracy theory. It seems like the main obstacle in the Trump's "peace deal" is that Putin is thinking that he is winning this war and that the Russian economy has way more time than the Ukrainian army will be able to conscript new soldiers.
>employing the same tactics Reagan used to bankrupt the Soviet Union
Soviet Union collapsed because of it's own complete left economy, because oil prices were several times lower than now (even adjusted for inflation) and because Gorbachev thought that it is better for him to advertise pizza, then to be the Supreme Ruler of those piece of sh.t of a country.
There is no political will. Sadly, and on this Trump is correct, the pathetic EU sent as much money to Ukraine as the amount of money they sent to Russia in oil purchases:
https://www.euronews.com/video/2025/03/05/has-europe-spent-m...
Three years of war and no real strategy of economic starvation of Russia....
